Summary

In Chapter 8, “Vaccines: The Sharpest Arrow in Our Quiver,” Osterholm lays out the history of vaccination, starting with ancient Chinese healers administering small amounts of small pox to prevent later outbreaks. He revisits Edward Jenner, talks about Washington’s, Jefferson’s and Madison’s support for mass vaccination efforts, and sites statistics on the significant decreases in infant mortality rates due to vaccines. Then, he talks about Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine. Polio impacted children, some of whom it killed and many of whom it left seriously disabled. Salk became an international hero after he publicly declared that he would not patent the newly developed polio vaccine, because it belongs to everyone. A number of companies then began producing and selling polio vaccines, many of which were administered in schools. In the 1960s and 1970s, new vaccines were produced, resulting in...